The Harrowing of Hell

I received this email today, and thought it is quite appropriate to share. It comes from Fr. Andrew Damick, the priest at our parish assignment of St. Paul's in Emmaus, PA, where we are spending the weekend for Pascha.

I wish all of you a blessed and joyous feast of our Lord's resurrection.
--Matthew



Dear in Christ,

God bless you!


On this Great and Holy Saturday, we commemorate the descent of our
Lord Jesus Christ into Hades (Eph. 4:8-10, 1 Peter 3:19).

The following imaginative story of Christ's descent into Hades
delivering the righteous who were in the bondage of death is taken
from the "Gospel of Nicodemus," an early piece of popular Christian
literature. It has never been regarded as part of the Holy Scripture,
but is respected for the insight and the beauty of the story it tells.
The hymns of Holy Saturday make significant use of this text.



Yours in Christ,

Fr. Andrew




And Joseph rose and said to Annas and Caiaphas: "You are indeed right
to marvel since you have heard that Jesus has been seen alive after
death, and that he has ascended into heaven. However, even more
marvelous, he did not rise from the dead alone; but many other dead he
raised from their graves to life, and many people have seen them in
Jerusalem.

And now hear me! For we all know the blessed Simeon, the high priest
who received the child Jesus in his hands in the temple. And this
Simeon had two sons, brothers in blood, and we were all present at
their death and burial. Go therefore and look at their graves, for
they are open, because they have risen! And behold they are in the
city of Arimathea living together in prayer. And indeed men hear them
crying out, yet they speak with no one, but are silent as dead men.
But come, let us go to them and with all honor and gentleness bring
them to us. And if we command them, perhaps they will inform us about
the mystery of their rising again."

When they heard these things, they all rejoiced. And Annas and
Caiaphas, Nicodemus and Joseph and Gamaliel went and did not find them
in their grave; but they went to the city of Arimathea, and found them
there, kneeling on their knees and giving themselves to prayer. And
they kissed them, and with all reverence and in the fear of God they
brought them to Jerusalem into the synagogue. And they shut the doors
and took the Law of the Lord and put it into their hands, and adjured
them by God, Adonai (Hebrew for "The Lord" - ed.), the God of Israel
who spoke to our fathers through the prophets, saying, “Do you believe
that it is Jesus who raised you from the dead? Tell us how you have
arisen from the dead!”

And when Karinus and Leucius heard this adjuration, their trembled
physically and groaned, being troubled at heart. And looking up
together to heaven they made the seal of the cross with their fingers
upon their tongues, and forthwith they spoke, both of them, saying:
“Give us each a volume of paper, and let us write that which we have
seen and heard.” And they gave them to them, and each sat down and
wrote the following:

O Lord Jesus Christ, Resurrection of the dead and Life of the living,
permit us to speak of the secrets of Your majesty which You
accomplished after Your death on the Cross, for we have been commanded
in Your Name. For You commanded Your servants to tell no one the
secrets of your divine majesty which You wrought in Hades.

Now when we were placed with all our fathers in the deep, in shadowy
darkness, suddenly the sun’s golden heat was there, and royal, purple
light shone on us. And immediately the father of the whole human race,
together with all the patriarchs and prophets rejoiced, saying, “This
Light is the Author of everlasting light Who promised to send to us
His co-eternal Light.” And Isaiah cried out, “This is the Light of the
Father, the Son of God, just as I prophesied when I was alive on the
earth: ‘The land of Zebulon and the land of Naphtali beyond Jordan, of
Galilee of the Gentiles; the people that walked in darkness have seen
a great light, and those who dwell in the land of the shadow of death,
on them the light has shone.’ And now it has come and shone upon us
that sit in death!”

And as we were all rejoicing in the light which shone on us, our
father Simeon came joyfully to us saying: “Glorify the Lord Jesus
Christ, the Son of God! For I received Him in my hands in the temple
when he was born a Child, and being moved by the Holy Spirit I
confessed Him, saying to Him; ‘Now my eyes have seen Your salvation
which You prepared before the face of all people, a light to lighten
the Gentiles, and the glory of Your people Israel.’” And when they
heard these things, the whole multitude of the saints rejoiced yet
more.

And after that there came someone looking like a desert dweller, and
everyone asked him, “Who are you?” And he answered: “I am John, the
voice and the prophet of the Most High, who preceded his coming to
prepare His pathway, to give knowledge of salvation to His people, so
that their sins might be forgiven. And when I saw Him coming to me, I
was moved by the Holy Spirit and said, ‘Behold the Lamb of God! Behold
Him Who takes away the world’s sins! And I baptized Him in the river
Jordan, and I saw the Holy Spirit coming down on Him with the
appearance of a dove, and I heard a voice from the sky saying, ‘This
is My beloved Son, in Whom I am well pleased.’ And now I have come
before His face, and have come down to proclaim to you that He is at
hand to visit us: He, the Dawn, the Son of God, is coming from on high
to us that sit in darkness and in the shadow of death.”

And when father Adam the first-created heard this, that Jesus had been
baptized in the Jordan, he cried out to his son Seth, saying, “Tell
your sons the patriarchs and the prophets all you heard from Michael
the Archangel, when I sent you to the gates of paradise to beg God to
send his angel to give you oil from the tree of mercy to anoint my
body when I was sick.” Then Seth approached the holy patriarchs and
prophets, and said, “When I, Seth, was praying at the gates of
Paradise, behold Michael the angel of the Lord appeared to me, saying,
‘I am sent to you from the Lord: it is I that am set over the body of
man. And I say to you, Seth, do not upset yourself with weeping,
praying and begging for the oil of the tree of mercy to anoint your
father Adam because he is in physical pain; for you will not be able
to receive it until the last days and times, until five thousand five
hundred years are accomplished. Then the most beloved Son of God will
come upon the earth to raise up the body of Adam and the bodies of the
dead, and He shall come to be baptized in the Jordan. And when He
emerges from Jordan’s water, He will anoint all who believe in Him
with the oil of mercy. And for all generations that are born of water
and of the Holy Spirit, that oil of mercy will be for eternal life.
Then the most beloved Son of God, Jesus the Anointed, will descend to
earth and bring our father Adam into paradise to the tree of mercy.”

And when they heard all these things from Seth, all the patriarchs and
prophets rejoiced with great joy.

And while all the saints were rejoicing, behold Satan the prince and
chief of death said to Hades: “Prepare yourself to receive Jesus who
boasts He is God’s Son, though He is a human being, afraid of death,
and says, ‘My soul is sorrowful even to death.’ And He has been my
great enemy, harming me greatly. With a word He has healed many that I
had made blind, lame, dumb, leprous, and possessed: and some that I
have brought to you dead, He has taken from you.”

Hades answered and said to Prince Satan, “Who is this Mighty One, if
He is a human being who fears death? For all the mighty ones of the
earth are subject to my power, even those that you have brought me
subdued by your power. If, then, you are mighty, what manner of man is
this Jesus Who can withstand your power, even though He is afraid of
death? If He is so mighty in His humanity, I tell you truly He is
almighty in his Godhead, and no man can withstand His power. And when
He says that He fears death, He wishes to trap you; and woe shall be
to you for everlasting ages.”

But Satan the Prince of Tartarus said, “Why do you doubt and fear to
receive this Jesus Who is your adversary and mine? For I tempted Him,
and have stirred up my ancient people with envy and wrath against Him.
I have sharpened a spear to thrust Him through, gall and vinegar have
I mixed to give Him to drink, and I have prepared a cross to crucify
Him and nails to pierce Him. And His death is near at hand, so I can
bring Him to you to be subject to you and me.”

Hades answered and said, “You told me it is He who has taken dead men
from me. For there are many who when they were alive on earth have
taken dead men from me — not by their own power but by praying to God,
and their Almighty God has taken them from me. Who is this Jesus that
has drawn dead men away from me by His own word and without prayer?
Perhaps it is He who by by simply speaking a command restored to life
Lazarus, four days dead, stinking and decomposing, whom I held here
dead.”

Satan the Prince of Death answered and said: “It is that same Jesus.”

When Hades heard this, he said to him: “I adjure you by your strength
and my own, not to bring Him to me! For at that time when I heard him
speak a command I shook and I was overwhelmed with fear, and all my
servants were troubled with me. And we could not keep Lazarus — like
an eagle shaking himself, he sprang forth with all agility and
swiftness and departed from us, and the earth which held Lazarus’s
corpse at once yielded him up alive. And so it is I know now that the
Man who was able to do these things is a God strong in command and
mighty in manhood, and that He is the savior of mankind. And if you
bring Him to me He will set free all that are shut up here in the hard
prison and bound in the unbreakable chains of their sins, and He will
bring them to the life of His Godhead for ever.”

And as Prince Satan and Hades said these things to each other,
suddenly there came a voice like thunder and a spiritual shout:

Lift up, your gates, O princes,
and be lifted up, you everlasting doors,
and the King of Glory shall come in.

When Hades heard this, he said to Prince Satan, “Leave me, leave my
dwelling. If you are a mighty warrior, fight against the King of
Glory. But what is He to you?” And Hades cast Satan out of his
dwelling. Then Hades said to his wicked servants, “Shut fast the
strong gates of brass and put on them the iron bars and resist
bravely! Make sure we who hold the captives do not become captives
ourselves!”

But when the multitude of saints all heard it, they rebuked Hades,
“Open your gates, that the King of Glory may come in!” And David cried
out, “When I was alive on earth, did I not tell you beforehand, ‘Let
them give thanks to the Lord, for His mercies and His wonders to the
children of men; Who has broken the gates of brass and smitten the
iron bars asunder? He has taken them from their wicked ways.’” And
then Isaiah likewise said, “When I was alive on earth, did not I tell
you, ‘The dead shall arise, and they that are in the tombs shall rise
again, and they that are in the earth shall rejoice, for the dew which
comes from the Lord is their healing?’ And again I said, ‘O death,
where is your sting? O Hades, where is your victory?’”

When they heard what Isaiah said, all the saints said to Hades, “Open
your gates! Now you will be overcome and weak and devoid of strength.”
And there came a great voice like thunder, saying, “Lift up your
gates, O Princes, and be lifted up you portals of Hades, and the King
of Glory shall come in!”

And when Hades saw that they cried out twice like this, he said, as if
he did not know the answer, “Who is this King of Glory?” And David
answered Hades and said, “I know the words being shouted, since by His
Spirit I prophesied the same; and now I say to you what I said before:
‘The Lord strong and mighty, the Lord mighty in battle: He is the King
of glory.’” And, ‘The Lord looked down from heaven that He might hear
the groanings of those in fetters and deliver the children of the
slain.’ And now, most foul and stinking Hades, open your gates, that
the King of Glory may come in.”

And as David spoke in this way to Hades, the Lord of Majesty appeared
in the form of a man and lightened the eternal darkness and broke the
unbreakable bonds. And His everlasting might brought relief to us that
sat in the deep darkness of our transgressions and in the shadow of
death of our sins.

When Hades and death and their wicked servants saw this, they were
stricken with fear, they and their cruel officers, at the sight of the
radiance of such a great light in their own realm, seeing Christ
suddenly in their dwelling. And they cried out, saying, “We are
overcome by You. Who are You, sent by the Lord for our confusion? Who
are You, undamaged by corruption, and with Your majesty’s signs
unblemished, in Your wrath condemning our power? Who are You so great
and so small, both humble and exalted, both soldier and commander, a
marvelous warrior in the form of a bondsman, and King of Glory, both
dead and living, whom the Cross carried killed upon it? You that lay
dead in the grave have come down to us living, and at Your death all
creation shuddered and all the stars were shaken. You have become
become free among the dead and You rout our legions. Who are You that
free prisoners held bound by the original sin and restore them into
their former liberty? Who are You that shed Your divine and blazing
light on those who were blinded with the darkness of their sins?”

The risen Christ, trampling the gates of Hades, calls Adam and Eve
from the grave as prophets, kings and saints look on.

Likewise all the legions of devils were stricken with the same fear
and cried out all together, terrified and in confusion, saying, “Where
are You from, Jesus, a man so mighty and radiant in majesty, so
excellent, spotless, clean of sin? For that world, the earth, which
hitherto was always subject to us, paying tribute from which we
profited, has never sent us a dead man like You, nor ever dispatched
such a gift to Hades! Who then are You that enter our borders so
fearlessly, not fearing our torments, but even trying to carry
everyone off out of our bondage? Perhaps You are that Jesus of whom
Satan our prince said that by Your death on the cross You should
receive the dominion of the whole world.

Then the King of Glory in his majesty
trampled on death,
and laid hold of Prince Satan
and delivered him to the power of Hades,
and drew Adam to Him,
to His own brightness.

Then Hades, receiving Prince Satan, reproached him bitterly, saying,
“O prince of perdition and chief of destruction, Beelzebub, the scorn
of the angels and spitting of the righteous, why did you do this? You
crucify the King of Glory and at His death you promise us great
plunder from His death. Like a fool you did not know what you were
doing! See! by the brightness of His majesty this Jesus puts to flight
all the darkness of death. He has broken the strong depths of the
prisons, and let out the prisoners and loosed the bound. And all those
who were groaning in our torments rejoice against us, and at their
prayers our dominions are vanquished and our realms conquered. And now
no nation of men fears us any more. And beside this, the dead, who
never used to be proud, triumph over us, and the captives who never
could be joyful threaten us. O Prince Satan, father of all the wicked
and ungodly and renegades, why did you do this? Of all those who from
the beginning until now have despaired of life and salvation, now none
of their usual howls can be heard, not a groan from them sounds in our
ears, nor is there any sign of tears on the face of any of them!

“O Prince Satan, holder of the keys of Hades, those riches you once
won by the Tree of Transgression and the loss of Paradise, you have
lost by the Tree of the Cross, and all your gloating is over! When you
hung up Christ Jesus the King of Glory you worked against yourself and
against me. Henceforth you shall know what eternal torments and
infinite pains you are to suffer in my keeping for ever. O Prince
Satan, author of death and head of all pride, you ought first to have
sought out some wrongdoing to accuse this Jesus of: why did you dare
to crucify Him unjustly, without any cause, when you found no blame
against Him, and to bring into our realm the Innocent Righteous One,
and to lose the guilty, the ungodly and the unrighteous of the entire
world?”

And when Hades had spoken like this to Prince Satan, the King of Glory
said to Hades: “Satan the prince shall be in your power to all ages in
the stead of Adam, and his children My righteous ones.”

And the Lord stretching out His hand, said, “Come to Me, all My holy
ones who bear My image and My likeness. You that by the tree and the
devil and death were condemned, behold now the devil and death
condemned by the Tree!” And immediately all the saints were gathered
together under the hand of the Lord. And the Lord holding the right
hand of Adam, said to him, “Peace be to you with all your children, my
righteous ones.”

But Adam, casting himself at the knees of the Lord, entreated him with
tears and beseechings, and said with a loud voice, “I will magnify
You, O Lord, for You have set me upright and not let my enemies
triumph over me. O Lord my God I cried to You and You have healed me;
Lord, You have brought my soul out of Hades, You have delivered me
from those who go down into the pit. Sing praises to the Lord, all you
his ye saints, and give thanks to Him, remembering His holiness! For
there is wrath in His indignation and life is in His good pleasure.”
In the same way all the saints of God knelt and cast themselves at the
feet of the Lord, saying with one accord: “You are come, O Redeemer of
the world! What You foretold by the Law and Your prophets, You have
accomplished in deed.

“You have redeemed the living by Your Cross, and by the death of the
Cross You have come down to us, to save us out of Hades and death
through Your majesty. O Lord, as You have set the name of Your glory
in the heavens and set up Your Cross as a token of redemption upon the
earth, even so, O Lord, set up the sign of Your Cross’s victory in
Hades, that death may have no more dominion.”

And the Lord stretched out His hand and made the sign of the Cross
over Adam and over all His saints, and He took the right hand of Adam
and went up out of Hades, and all the saints followed Him. Then Holy
David cried aloud, “Sing to the Lord a new song, for He has done
marvelous things. His right hand has wrought salvation for Him and His
holy arm. The Lord has made known His saving healing; before the face
of all nations he has revealed his justice.” And the whole multitude
of the saints answered, saying: “Such honor have all His saints. Amen,
Alleluia.”

And then Habakkuk the prophet cried out, “You went forth for the
salvation of Your people to set Your chosen free.” And all the saints
answered, “Blessed is He that comes in the name of the Lord. The Lord
is God and has appeared to us. Amen, Alleluia.” Likewise after that
the prophet Micah too shouted, “What God is like You, O Lord, taking
away iniquity and removing sins? And now You withhold Your wrath as
evidence that You are freely merciful, and You turn and have mercy on
us. You forgive all our iniquities and have sunk all our sins in the
depths of the sea, as You swore to our fathers in the days of old.”
And all the saints answered, saying, “This is our God for ever and
ever! He shall be our guide, to ages of ages. Amen, Alleluia.” And so
spoke all the prophets, quoting sacred words from their praises, and
all the saints followed the Lord, crying “Amen, Alleluia!”

But the Lord holding the hand of Adam delivered him to Michael the
archangel, and all the saints followed Michael the archangel. And he
brought them all into the glory and grace of Paradise. And there two
old men met them, and when they were asked by the saints: “Who are you
that have never been dead in Hades with us, and are placed in Paradise
in the body?” Then one of them answered, “I am Enoch, who was brought
here by the word of the Lord, and this that is with me is Elijah the
Tishbite, who was taken up in a chariot of fire. Up to this day we
have not tasted death, but we are kept until the coming of Antichrist
to fight against him with signs and wonders of God, and to be slain by
him in Jerusalem, and after three days and a half to be taken up again
alive on the clouds.”

And as Enoch and Elijah were speaking like this with the saints, there
came another man miserably dressed, carrying on his shoulders the sign
of the cross. When they saw him, all the saints asked him, “Who are
you? You look like a brigand! And how is it you bear a sign on your
shoulders?” And he answered them, “You are right: I was a brigand,
doing all manner of evil upon the earth. And the Jews crucified me
with Jesus, and I beheld the wonders in creation which occurred
through the Cross of Jesus when He was crucified. And I believed that
He was the maker of all creatures and the Almighty King, and I begged
him. ‘Remember me, Lord, when You come in your Kingdom!’ And
immediately He received my prayer, and said to me, ‘Truly I tell you,
this day you will be with Me in Paradise.’ And He gave me the sign of
the Cross, saying, ‘Carry this and go to Paradise, and if the angel
that guards Paradise will not let you enter, show him the sign of the
Cross; and say to him: Jesus Christ the Son of God, now the Crucified,
has sent me.’ And when I had done this, I said all these things to the
angel who guards Paradise; and when he heard this from me he
immediately opened the door and brought me in, and set me at the right
hand of Paradise, saying, ‘Wait just a little while and Adam, the
father of all mankind, will enter in with all his children that are
holy and righteous, after the triumph and glory of the ascension of
Christ the Lord, the Crucified.” When they heard all these words of
the brigand, all the holy patriarchs and prophets said with one voice:

Blessed be the Lord Almighty,
the Father of eternal good things,
the Father of mercies!
You that have given such grace to Your sinners
and brought them again into the beauty of Paradise
And into Your good pastures:
for this is the most holy life of the spirit!
Amen, Amen.